Mr. Eddie Downey:

It is a big issue for us. I have attended a number of meetings around the country at which crime officers from An Garda Síochána have spoken. One of them described a farm as a supermarket for thieves because the opportunities for thieves at a farm were endless. It is as if we invite thieves onto farms. We need to take action to prevent this from happening. It is very clear that some people think it is not necessary to report certain crimes and they do not see any value in reporting them. We have to get the need to report every crime into people's minds because, while a crime on one farm may seem trivial, in combination, they are all serious and reporting them might lead to the detection of a more serious crime later.

While a crime committed on my farm might seem trivial, the combination and culmination of various crimes might lead to the detection of more serious crimes further on. I think we need to get that into place. We cannot expect the system to deal with all of these issues. People dwelling in rural Ireland need to be part and parcel of the solution. The IFA believes it has a role in that.